Note: I do not own 'Harry Potter' but do own my own characters...If anyone can tell me where Larissa and her white hair comes from, I'll dedicate the next chapter to you...Enjoy...

I was kneeling in the front flowerbed picking weeds as it being one of my chores. A shadow fell over me so I looked up. The sun was right behind the figure but I could make out the long hair and small body.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked with a hint of an accent.

"Weeding. The garden is one of my chores. Who are you?" I asked.

"No one your age should be weeding the garden. You're like 4."

"I'm 8. Who are you?"

"Larissa. My mother and I just moved into the house next door. Who are you?" she asked, kneeling beside me.

I squinted through my glasses to get a good look at her. Her eyes were the darkest brown I've ever seen and her hair was…

"White. Your hair is white."

"I know. People stare and it makes me feel like a freak. I had the nicest brown hair until I was 3 then poof, it went white. Mama knows why but she won't tell me. What's your name?"

"Harry. My Aunt Petunia won't like it if I stop doing my chores to talk. I have to have the rest done by dinner."

Larissa looked around the garden and smiled. She tucked her hair behind her ears and reached out to the patch of weeds in front of her.

"With my help, you'll have it done sooner and you can show me around."

"I'm not allowed help or they'll…" I trailed off, not wanting to tell her how Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon punish me.

"It'll be OK. We'll go over to my house and Mama can cook us something. We both know what it's like to be hungry," she replied after looking me over.

As we worked, she asked questions about Privet Drive, London, and my family. I told her how my parents died in the car crash and she didn't seem to pity me. Most do when they hear I was orphaned at such a young age and sent to my aunt and uncle. I tried asking questions about herself but she didn't go into great detail.

"Mama and I move a lot. It seems like every year. She told me her family was killed but she managed to get away. She'll never step foot back into the old country. Say's there's too many memories. Most people…"

"Look. One freak with another freak," my cousin said from the doorway.

Larissa ignored him and kept pulling weeds. I could see him getting mad. No one ignores Dudley. His fat face went tight as he marched over to us. He grabbed her arm as she reached out for more weeds.

"Let go," she said calmly.

He squeezed tighter. I've never seen anyone move as fast as her. One second she's beside me and next, she has Dudley's arm twisted around his back with her hand around his throat.

"No one touches me unless I say so. If you try that again, I'll snap your arm off. Got it?"

Neither of us moved and she squeezed his neck tighter. He nodded and she let go. Dudley ran back into the house. She started to kneel and I thought I heard the words 'Stupid human' coming from her mouth when her name was called.

I took the chance to look over towards her house. A young woman was standing on the front step. Her hair was done up in a braid but still fell down her side. Her hands were on her hips and she didn't look too pleased.

"I gotta go. I know you have questions but all I can say is that I'm different. I inherited different talents from my mother and father. I'll see you later, Harry."

She wiped the dirt off of her knees and headed over to the woman. The way she was yelling it seemed like she was her mother but she looked too young to have a daughter around my age. Maybe that's one of the things Larissa was talking about. I made a mental note to ask about that the next time I see her.

The weeding was finished just in time. I got cleaned up and headed into start on dinner. Everything was my chore while my cousin did nothing but watch the telly and eat. I was surprised that Aunt Petunia hadn't punished me for what Larissa did to Dudley. I was beginning to wonder if he had kept it to himself but he was only waiting for the right time.

"Daddy, Harry had help with his chores," Dudley said, just as Uncle Vernon was lifting a fork full of meat to his mouth.

"Who, Dudley?" he asked, staring at me.

"The freak next door. Her hair is white and she hurt my arm. I don't like her."

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia exchanged looks and my uncle threw down his fork and grabbed the back of my oversized shirt. Technically it wasn't mine but an old ripped one of Dudley's. Uncle Vernon pulled me from my seat at the table and threw me into the cupboard. My back collided with the wall as he slammed the door shut.

"You will stay in here until you learn that your chores are for you alone," he yelled.

I heard the lock hit home and his thunderous steps back to the kitchen table. I pulled back my blanket and smiled at the little gift there. I had known I would be punished so I lifted some bread and cheese when Aunt Petunia wasn't looking. I had a few bites and put the rest away. I didn't know how long I was going to be locked up this time.

I was sleeping when a noise woke me. I put my glasses on and saw Larissa looking at me from the open door.

"Uncle Vernon will be mad. You have to leave," I pleaded.

"He's asleep. They all are. Come on, Harry. You need to eat something more than bread and cheese."

She grabbed my hand and pulled me out. She closed and locked the cupboard door and pulled me to the open front door. I didn't fight as she pulled me out of the house and over to hers.

"Mama, this is Harry. Harry, this is my mother Anastasia."

It was the same woman from earlier. She turned to face me and I saw how pale she was. Her blue eyes seemed to speak volumes and they were a contrast to her light reddish hair.

"Hello."

"Come in and sit. You look starved."

"He is. His uncle locked him up without dinner."

I looked at her with wide eyes. How could she have known? And how did she know what I had hidden under my blanket? She saw my expression and smiled.

"Mama made me go over and apologize but instead I saw what he did. He does that often doesn't he?"

I looked between Larissa and her mother. Somehow I felt safe with them but there was an edge to that safety. Anastasia held out a plate of food and I hesitantly took it.

"I get punished a lot. I never have my chores done on time. Either I don't eat or they lock me away. I don't think they like me much."

"Clearly. Your cousin is a bully. He needs to learn that…"

"Larissa," her mother started before switching to another language.

I kept my eyes down and busied myself with the delicious food while my friend was spoken to. A friend. Dudley had never let me have a friend before. Whenever someone tried to talk to me, he would scare them off but Larissa was different. She wanted to know me and wasn't scared by him.

When I finished, I got up to wash the plate and fork when the talking stopped.

"Harry, why do your clothes hang off of you?"

Her voice was soft and the accent was thicker than Larissa's. I looked up at Anastasia and saw the sadness in her eyes.

"I get all of Dudley's hand-me-downs," I replied as if it explained that my relatives would never spend money on me unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Mama, that's not right. You could…"

"Hush, Larissa. Are you still hungry? My daughter insists that you are fed until you can't anymore."

"It doesn't take much to make me full. When I'm in school, all I get is lunch so the teachers don't worry. I do have a few questions."

"We will answer what we can."

I took my spot at the table and looked between Larissa and Anastasia. There were ways to approach certain questions but I was worried that they would get offended. Larissa reached over and poked my shoulder.

"No, still alive. You left us there for a second. What were you thinking about?"

"You're my first friend and I don't want to seem rude with the questions I ask."

"How thoughtful of you, Harry, but we're not the type to be scared of questions. If there's one we can't or don't want to answer, we'll tell you," Anastasia said.

"Where did you just move from?"

"America. Larissa was born here but we left when things got to be too much. Things have settled down so we came back. I like being near home but not close to home."

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"I was born in Russia and stayed there until I was 17. My entire family was killed and I was taken. They held me captive for about 5 years before I got away. Being back home in Russia brings up bad memories but I still get to be nearby living here in Britain."

"You don't look old."

"Mama's special too, Harry," Larissa said.

Anastasia talked to her daughter in what I presumed was Russian before she got up and left. Larissa turned back to me and smiled.

"Sorry. Mama says we can't talk about that yet. I should be getting you back before it's too late. Will you be out during the day?"

"It's up to Uncle Vernon."

Larissa walked me back and bid me goodnight as she locked the cupboard behind me. I laid on the makeshift bed and thought back to earlier. I finally had a friend, who snuck me out and fed me. Uncle Vernon and Dudley liked calling me a freak and that's how Larissa saw herself. We could be freaks together.